LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings Fell Beast 40693 Review: The 269-Piece Nazgûl Gift Set

Icons · The Lord of the Rings

Some LEGO sets were never for sale, which is exactly why people hunt them. The LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Fell Beast 40693 is a 269-piece, 18+ gift-with-purchase from mid-2024: a Nazgûl on its winged mount over a fragment of Osgiliath, with one minifigure unique to the set. Brickset lists it as a LEGO gift with purchase from June to December 2024, with no retail price - so every listing you’ll see is a marketplace one.

What you actually get

• 269 pieces, rated 18+, and no list price - Brickset records it as a gift with purchase, handed out with large Lord of the Rings orders in 2024 rather than sold.
• A Fell Beast with spread wings, posed over a small ruined section of Osgiliath, in the same display style as the big Icons sets it was given away with.
• One Nazgûl minifigure, unique to this set according to Brickset - the reason collectors care, since the Ringwraith in this exact form exists nowhere else.
• A footprint small enough to sit on a desk, which is the opposite of its parent sets.

How does it compare with Rivendell and Barad-dûr?

It’s their footnote. The Rivendell 10316 and Barad-dûr 10333 sets are the 5,000-plus-piece centrepieces; the Fell Beast was the thank-you gift for buying the second of them. On its own it’s a small, handsome display piece with one great figure. Next to Barad-dûr it’s the missing element - the tower gets a Nazgûl circling it - and that’s where it earns its place.

If you don’t own either big set, this is a curiosity. If you own Barad-dûr, it’s the accessory the box should have included.

Is LEGO Fell Beast 40693 worth it?

Only as a companion piece, and only at a sensible marketplace price. There’s no list price to anchor to, so judge it against what 269 pieces and one exclusive minifigure would cost as a normal set - somewhere in the range of a small retail box. Pay above that only if the Nazgûl completes a Middle-earth display you already have. As a standalone LEGO purchase for someone without the big sets, the same money buys a better build.

Who it suits

Owners of Barad-dûr or Rivendell who missed the 2024 promotion, and Tolkien collectors who want the Ringwraith figure. It’s also a good small gift for someone who already has the big sets and “doesn’t need anything”. Less suited to first-time buyers in the theme and to anyone who wants a build that lasts an evening - it doesn’t.

Worth knowing first

Two practical notes. First, gift-with-purchase sets come in a plain, smaller box; a “sealed” listing should show that box, not a stock render. Second, the value is in the minifigure - check that the Nazgûl is present and complete in any used listing, because a Fell Beast without its rider is just a bat.

Verdict

The small print of the Lord of the Rings line: 269 pieces, one exclusive Nazgûl, never sold at retail. Worth chasing if it completes Barad-dûr; skip it if it would be your first Middle-earth set. For where the big sets sit among everything we’ve rated, see the best LEGO sets for adults. Check the current price of the Fell Beast on Amazon.